Want to see the impact you can have in your community and in individual lives each day? Direct service and/or social work is an avenue where you will be able to make a difference in individual lives, generations of families, and communities. In this field, you will be interacting face-to-face with those in need, and doing what you can to help them navigate the obstacles society places in their way. This work can be both emotionally and physically taxing, but you have options. If you love it, it is possible to have longevity in a direct service career. At the same time, even a short time in direct service work will provide invaluable experience to inform the rest of your career.
Types of Entry Level Roles
Jobs in direct service are incredibly varied, so there is not one “entry-level” position or traditional career trajectory. Here are general descriptions of some entry-level positions in direct service:
Direct Care Working/Program Assistant (Client Service Aid or Residential Aid): This is a common title for an entry-level position in direct service work. These individuals are often employed by shelters or residential programs for individuals experiencing housing instability. They help handle the day-to-day care and programming for clients but are also necessary in the case of an emergency. A direct care worker may also be responsible for conflict de-escalation. This position is a good place for someone to get their start in the direct service field. You may also take a direct care position that is not associated with a residential program. For example, you could be a staffer at a youth enrichment program, community center, senior center, or other community-based organization. In this case, it helps to think about which population (children, women, seniors) you want to serve and build experience volunteering with that specific group.
Case Management: Positions such as these involve working with clients to coordinate and advocate for their access to external services (housing, food, job training, etc.). Case workers are needed in a variety of environments (schools, prisons, hospitals, homeless shelters), so the work you will do may vary depending on where you end up. Case management is not limited to those with social work degrees, but, as discussed below, social work case management involves a specific approach focused on both macro and micro factors influencing the client in question. Since a master’s degree is not typically required to do work as a case manager, this type of job may be a good way to experience direct service work (either through a fellowship program or independently) earlier in your career. Depending on your position, case management involves a combination of interpersonal interactions and work behind a desk (in comparison to a direct care worker position which is almost all interpersonal). Much of the day-to-day work involves desk work such as managing your clients’ applications, wellness calls, and gathering data. This work will prepare you for face-to-face engagement with clients where you can provide them with the best information on the resources available for aid.
Program Manager: With an advanced degree or requisite experience (MSW, PhD in psychology, etc.), you may be able to grow to a management position within direct service work as a program manager. A program manager helps to oversee the work of an organization’s case workers and broader organizational programming. If you want to be involved in service work but also work on policy and systems, this managerial position may be more fitting for you. However, experience is highly valued in hiring for program managers, so it will serve you well to do some sort of direct service work prior to getting this role. These can include long-term volunteer work for a charity/organization that deals with direct service, an extended internship, being heavily involved in a direct service organization on campus, and many other avenues for the experience.
Additional career paths in direct service work (with MSW): Therapist/Clinical Social Work, Counselor Advocate (individual, couples, and/or families), Child Welfare worker, etc.
Hours and Pay: What to Expect
Like in other industries, hours in the direct service industry will vary depending on which position you take. As a direct care worker in a residential program, your shift may be from 7:00 am-3:00 pm, 3:00 pm-11:00 pm, or the night shift from 11:00 pm-7:00 am. You’ll either work a 40 hour week with these hours or you may be able to pick up shifts per diem, which means on a case-by-case basis. If you’re still a full-time student, per diem shifts may give you the flexibility you need. For these introductory jobs, you will likely get paid around $15 an hour, which, on a full-time basis, is about 30K a year.
There is room for growth in the field in terms of more stable hours (a more traditional 8-5 schedule) and better pay, and as a case manager, you may make above minimum wage and up to $20 an hour. At this level, you’ll likely become a salaried employee making between 30K and 35K depending on location. After getting your master’s, your pay ceiling will increase as well, and your benefits will be quite stable (especially if you’re working for the government as a social worker). If you are able to climb the managerial ladder, you can earn $100,000 or more as a nonprofit senior leader or executive director.
Pathways To Direct Service/Social Work:
Service Year/Fellowship: A popular place for recent graduates to start a career in direct service work is a range of service fellowships including but not limited to Americorps, Jesuit Volunteer Corps, City Year, Avodah, and FoodCorps. Each of these fellowships involve a service placement as part of a structured fellowship program. Depending on the fellowship, you may be placed in an intentional community with other members of the program.
Many of these fellowships are well established, giving you access to a job placement you would struggle to get independently. If you are interested in the direct service field, these 1-2 year programs give you the opportunity to immerse yourself in a community and learn a great deal from working full time in a community service job. As we discuss below, the types of organizations that hire direct service workers/social workers value a commitment to place and community. However, one of these fellowships makes it easier to work for a limited amount of time in the community and then decide your next steps. The biggest downside of these roles is that many of them will pay $20,000 or less per year. They do often include some additional benefits like loan deferrals, housing, or support, but can be tough financially, particularly in bigger cities. To learn more, check out our list of fellowships.
Getting Your Masters Degree in Social Work (Directly): If you already know一either through volunteer experience or research/informational interviews一that you want to go into social work, you can decide to apply for MSW programs right out of school. Importantly, a social work degree is not only conducive to direct service. It may be a step towards going into policy work一whether as an advocate or a policy maker. Within a social work masters, you can choose to specialize in a field (ex. Welfare of Children & Families/Individuals, Groups & Families, Clinical Work, Community Change/Community Organizing, Management & Leadership, Policy Practice).
Getting a social work degree can be an advantage in both direct service work and overall work in social change. Many positions in direct service work, including some case management positions, are credentialed一meaning they either require or highly prefer an MSW. In addition, many MSWs include internship/field placements, which means you can gain experience while you gain your degree. One of the primary drawbacks of an MSW is cost一average tuition at a top school could be around $40,000 per year, but there are ways to mitigate that cost (e.g., fellowships, financial aid, and in-state tuition discounts), and make a social work degree financially feasible. For additional information, we recommend checking out https://socialworklicensure.org/ or https://www.mswguide.org/
Going Directly Into Service Work: If you are not interested in a fellowship program or pursuing a masters degree, you may decide to go directly into direct service work as a direct care worker/client service aid/residential aid or a case manager. This path is far less guided, so you may struggle to get your foot in the door, but once you do, it can be an excellent choice. Particularly, if you have strong ties to a particular community or previous experience with this type of work, it can make a lot of sense to work directly for a nonprofit or government agency. These roles often pay slightly more than other fellowships but have less community support and structure for graduating seniors. If you chose this path, pay special attention to the application tips below as you are starting your job search.
The key uniting feature of these disparate paths is the social work philosophy; social work is about focusing foremost on the environment that surrounds a client. Using this perspective, social workers are able to evaluate the way external communities, societal structures, and families affect a client’s work. If you choose to pursue a social work degree, you should believe in this approach to social change. Technically, a ‘social worker’ has a social work degree一so be careful about terminology with folks in the field. Using the specific role title such as case manager or direct care worker can be helpful.
